There will be no break from the old routine for Diego Costa in Alicante on Friday – Spain's Brazilian-born striker will be up against Premier League defenders and desperate for goals against England.

The Chelsea striker was supposed to be the final piece of the jigsaw for Vicente del Bosque when he was recruited before the 2014 World Cup but he flopped at the tournament and has scored just once in his first nine internationals.

Here, Sportsmail looks at his battle to kick-start his international career.

Diego Costa trains with the Spanish national team in Alicante on Thursday ahead of the clash with England

The Chelsea striker chats with fellow Premier League player Santi Cazorla during training on Thursday

Why hasn't it worked out so far?

Speak to Spain players and they all agree that centre forward is the hardest position to play in the team. The patient passing game encourages teams to sit deep against them and this reduces the space for Costa to operate in. He made his name at Atletico Madrid with galloping runs into space on the counter - there is rarely the chance to do that for Spain.

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Not really, but there was such a fanfare when Spain took advantage of FIFA's rules by pinching him from Brazil that one goal in nine, and that very ordinary World Cup, has disappointed everyone.

Does he still have allies?

He has the most important ally of all – the boss. Del Bosque denies he feels obliged to pick Costa even when he is not being directly asked about it. He also doesn't see Costa being incompatible with Spain's style.

Costa was part of the Spain side that struggled so badly at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014

Costa opted to play for Spain over Brazil - the country of his birth - ahead of the World Cup last year

Costa has failed to make much of an impact for Spain but he retains the faith of manager Vicente del Bosque

Costa pictured in action during a friendly for Brazil before deciding to play for Spain

He said recently: 'I think football is universal. I don't think players compromise a style. We have people in midfield who are good on the ball so I think we need forwards who create space and commit the defenders and that is something that Diego Costa does.

'How can Costa be harmful for us? I don't think we have had luck with him in the side but there is nothing about him as a player that goes against our football. Now we are choosing between him (Alvaro) Morata and Paco Alcacer and those three are all well prepared to play.'

So Del Bosque sticks up for him but he mentions the players who could take his place?

He has to because everyone else in Spain is talking about the players who look better suited than him. There is also Athletic Bilbao's battering-ram centre forward Aritz Aduriz. At 34 he is no fledgling but his goals record is superb and there are some within the Spain camp who wonder why he is being ignored. Nolito who will be on the bench against England is another emerging option.

Costa, who has struggled in the league too this season, has developed a reputation as a pantomime villain

Del Bosque was critical of Costa earlier this season after his antics against Arsenal landed him a suspension

Costa has to be calmed down by his former Chelsea team-mate Petr Cech during the game back in September

Costa must be grateful for Del Bosque's continued support?

There are times when he doesn't make it easy for his boss. Del Bosque dropped him from the last squad. It is true that was in part because he was suspended for the first of the two games but it was also a comment on his behavoiur – he had just been banned for three games after his misdemeanours against Arsenal.

'He is a good lad; a very good lad. A great guy,' says Spain's manager. 'Away from the pitch he is nothing like the guy who we see clashing with defenders. But I can't hide it when there is something I don't like. It makes me mad when he does these things because I know what a phenomenal guy he is.'

So he wants Costa to clean his act up?

He thinks a lot of what he does on the pitch is unnecessary and helps neither himself nor the team. But he doesn't want him to become an angel. Part of the reason he brought him into the squad was that Spain had become a little too nice for their own good. 'The vitality he shows in games cannot be bad for the team,' he says.

Costa grabs Ryan Shawcross by the face during a heated match at the Britannia last Saturday

In the same game, referee Anthony Taylor has to step in to separate Costa and Philipp Wollscheid

Are the fans behind him?

Songs were sung at some league grounds when he first 'joined' Spain that made the point that Costa is not Spanish but that died down before the World Cup and although he did not impress in Brazil there is no backlash because of his background. Supporters seem to want it to work.

It has also been a factor that the team don't get huge crowds watching them anyway and when there is booing it tends to be aimed at Gerard Pique not Costa - Real Madrid-leaning Spain fans having a pop at what they see as the face of a successful and slightly cocky Barcelona.

And what do the players think of him?

Most have the same attitude as Del Bosque – Costa is a nice guy to have around the group and if he's winding rival defenders up, so long as he is not getting sent off, it's fine. He became close pals with Sergio Busquets at the last World Cup and has an excellent relationship with his former Atletico Madrid team-mates. Some of the more patriotic players privately questioned bringing in a Brazilian at the start but that sentiment has never surfaced and his personality means he is a genuinely popular member of the squad.

Costa was involved in a furious altercation with former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard last season

Costa (centre) has scored once for Spain in nine appearances and that came in a 4-0 win over Luxembourg

Costa, who switched allegiances to Spain after playing in two friendlies for Brazil, remains a popular figure

Is there a solution to this barren run then?

On Saturday we could see him playing in a front two alongside Alcacer. That would be a change in tactics and might just suit him. Some of the best football he played at Atletico Madrid was alongside Radamel Falcao. It gives him a decoy and he can run the channels and drop into deeper positions when he wants to be without always being the player whose responsibility it is to hang on the shoulder of the last defender. It will be interesting to see how it works.

Will he go to Euro 2016?

Del Bosque is a man of honour. No matter how often he says he does not feel obliged to pick Costa, he was the man who sat down with him in 2013 and persuaded him to jump ship. If Costa had stayed with Brazil he might have been just what new coach Dunga wanted in a new-look attack alongside Neymar. So there is a sense of loyalty from Del Bosque. But if the dry run continues and he has a rotten second half of the season at Chelsea then he will have little choice but to leave him behind.